Venetian blind headbar construction



April 15, 1952 NELSON 2,593,048

VENETIAN BLIND HEADBAR CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Oct. 4, 1947zvsnmws-sxmm 1 Q a x u.

\O I w g 2 1 INVENTOR 1 I HARRY NELSON I h F:

HIS ATTORNEYS April 15; 1952 NELSQN I 2,593,048

VENETIAN BLIND HEADBAR CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Oct. 4, 1947 2SHEETS-SHEET 2 I r V i I li a "a 9 INVENTOR HARRY NELSON I W fizzdiv HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 15, 1952 VENETIAN BLIND HEADBAR CONSTRUCTIONHarry Nelson, New York, N. Y., assignor to Lorentzen Hardware Mfg.Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original applicationOctober 4, 1947, Serial No. 778,002. Divided and this application April27, 1949, Serial No. 89,882

2 Claims. (Cl. 160-177) This'invention relates to Venetian blinds, andmore particularly to Venetian blind headbar organizations and associatedparts. Certain featuresof the invention are applicable to various types,of headbars but the invention as a whole is particularly applicable tometal headbar organizations of thetype known in the trade as enclosedmetal. heads. The present applicationis adivision of my copendingapplication S. 11,778,002, filed October 4, 1947. I So-called enclosedheads may be handled and installed as a unit. They include a tilter, atilt rod, tape rockers, a cord lock, and tilt rod cradles thatflhaveeord guides, all enclosed within the headbar and usually mounted alongthe base of a channeleshapedflheadbar. Thus, there is no occasion to usea valance to conceal the various fittingsbywhich the blind is supportedand adjusted. Aheadbar organization of this type is shown in my Patent2,455,135; issued November 30,, 1948,.the present invention being insome respects an improvement over the construction hs es o i Thetilterof the above-described type of headbar ,cons'truction usually has a cordpulley rotatably mounted for revolution in a plane parallelfto'and ashort distance behind the front wall (wall towards the operator of theblind) of the headbar. The bottom wall of the headbar is in part cutaway below the pulley to permit downward passage of the ends of a tiltcord reeved about the pulley.

It is customary to mount a cord guide on the tilter body so as toproject below the pulley, the cord guide having one or morecord-engaging portions to aid in maintaining the tilt cord reeved on thepulley and provide a smooth bearing to prevent fraying of the tilt cordends in their passage through the bottom wall of the headbar channel. Inthe usual method of assembly of a headbar embodying such construction,the two ends of the lift cord are threaded downwardly one on each sideof the pulley and through the cord guide and bottom wall of the headbarchannel. Inasmuch as the tilt cord pulley is usually located quite closeto the front wall of the headbar channel and space within the channel isvery restricted, threading the tilt cord in this manner is atime-consuming operation. Further, the tassels cannot be assembled onthe ends of the tilt cord until after the tilt cord has been assembledin the headbar. Additionally, if it is desired at any time to remove thetilt cord from the headbar, one or both of the tassels must first beremoved.

' the elimination of a substantial amount of lost- In the'form shown ofthe present invention, the construction and arrangement of the tilterand headbar is such that the looped midportion of the tilt cord may bethreaded upwardly through the opening in the bottom wall of the headbar,between the cord pulley and the front wall of the headbar, and engagedabout the cord pulley. The individual ends of thetilt cord may then beengaged within the cord guide, thus facilitating assembly of the tiltcord with the headbar assembly and permitting the tilt cord tassels tobe assembled on the two ends ofthe tilt cord prior to engagement of thetilt cord with the cord pulley.

The above is obtained in the structure herein shown by providing asingle opening in the bottom wall of the headbar rather than a pair ofopenings, this opening extending forwardly of the pulley sufiiciently topermit the looped end of the tilt cord to be passedupwardly between thepulley and the front wall of the headbar to engage the cord about thepulley. The opening in the headbar wall is also extended to permitengagement of the ends of the tilt cord in the cord guide, an openingbeing provided in the cord guide to permit each of the tilt cord ends tobe slipped sideways within the cord guide rather than threaded throughfrom a free end of the cord.

A further feature of the present invention is motion in the tiltingmechanism of the blind so as to facilitate angular adjustment of theslats and prevent angular movement of the slats from adjusted position.This lost motion may occur in a Venetian blind headbar assembly of theand the tape rockers.

The tilt rod is usually formed of a cold rolled steel rod with arelatively wide range of dimen sional toleranc so that it is notfeasible to attempt to maintain a close fit between the tilt 1 rod andthe hub of the pinion or gear sector) The lost motion has been in largepart eliminated by the usecf resilient tape rockers which resilientlygrip the tilt rod, and by the use of a sheet metal wedge introducedwithin the pinion hub so as to remove any lost motion between theposition. v p

Among the objects of the invention are to facilitate installation of atilt cord in an enclosed headbar assembly, to provide a structure inwhich tassels may be mounted on the tilt cord before the tilt cord isassembled with the head, to increase the speed of assembly of enclosedmetal heads, to decrease lost motion in the blind-tilting mechanism, andto generally improve enclosed metal heads and parts therefor from thestandpoint of manufacture, assembly, use and durability.

Further objects and objects relating to economies of construction,manufacture and use will more definitely appear from the detaileddescription to follow.

My invention is clearly defined in the appended claims. In the claims,as well as in the description, parts are at times identified by specificnames for clarity and convenience, but such nomenclature is to beunderstood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the contextand with the concept of my invention as distinguished from the pertinentprior art. The best form in which I have contemplated applying myinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part ofthisspecification, in which:

Fig. l is'a perspective view of a Venetian blind embodying the presentinvention, portions of the headbar and one ladder tape being cut orbroken away to show details of construction.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tilter end of the headbarorganization, certain parts being in section or broken away and an endbrace being shown in exploded relation.

Fig. 3 is a top planview of the tilter end of the headbar organization,portions of the bar being in section or broken away for convenience ofillustration.

:Fig, 4 is a top plan View of the tilter end of the headbar channel andend brace, portions of the bar being broken away or shown in sectionfor'convenience of illustration.

Fig. 5 is an inverted perspective view of the tilt rod wedge.

In describing the construction, assembly and operation of the tiltingmechanism, certain portions of the entire headbar assembly which are notclosely related to the tilting mechanism will be described briefly oromitted entirely from this description, these parts being described inmore detail in the above-mentioned application S. N. 778,002.

Referring to the drawings, a headbar channel 20 for a Venetian blind isformed of a length of channel-shaped sheet metal severed from a piece ofindeterminate length. By making headbarswhich vary in length inincrements of one inch, windows of all widths between the short est andlongest headbar can be provided for.

The channel 20 is provided with round, inwardly-turned open marginalbeads 2 1, 2| formed along the upper edges of the channel. The channel20 may also be provided with longitudinal inwardly-pressed beads orcorrugations on both the front and back sides of the channel, the frontside being considered as the side towards the person operating theblind, which side is usually placed towards the interior of the room.The beads 2|, 2| and the corrugations 22 are preferably formed in theindeterminate length of channel stock in advance of severing to form theheadbar channel 20. These beads and corrugations add to the appearanceof the headbar and stiffen it against bending.

The operating mechanism of the blind is .located within the channel 20,the individual parts thereof being spaced along its length and securedto the inside bottom portion of the channel. This mechanism is securedto the channel by bending over tabs which have been previously struck upfrom the bottom of the chan-: nel, this securing means being generallysimilar to that shown in the above-mentioned Patent No. 2,455,135. Amore detailed description or certain parts of the operating mechanismand their attachment to the headbar channel will be given later.

The channel 20 which is formed of relatively light gauge sheet metal,preferably steel, is re inforced at its open ends by end braces 24, 24,one of these braces being shown in detail in, Fig. 2. The brace for bothends of the headbar are identical, no lefts or rights being required.

A tilter 45 is mounted adjacent one end of the headbar channel .20,usually the left end. This tilter may be of more or less conventionaldesign having an intermeshed worm and pinion, the worm being rotated bya cord pulley .80 which is operated by a tilt cord 8| reeved about thepulley. The pinion is formed for engagement with a tilt rod 50 whichextends lengthwise of the headbar channel 20. The pinion and the tiltrod will be described in more detail later.

The tilter 45 is mounted in the headbar channel 20 by bending over apair of upstanding tabs 14, 14 previously struck from the bottom of thechannel. These tabs are bent downwardly upon a horizontally-extendingflange and are received in notches l6, 16 formed in the edge portion ofthe flange. For convenient and economical stamping of the tilter,projecting portions 11, 1'! (Fig. 2) at the top of the tilter body maynest with the notches I6, 16 in the mounting flange of the adjacenttilter body .in blanking out the tilter bodies.

From a study of .Fig. 4, it will be noted that the center line of tabsM, M lies to the rear of the center line of the headbar channel 20. Thisarrangement is such that the axis of the tilt rod 50 is offsetrearwardly of the center line of the channel 20 so as to offset theblind slats to the rear of the center line of the headbar channel. Thisfeature of construction is described in detail and claimed in theabove-mentioned parent application.

The tilter 45 is provided with a cord guide 19 which has provision forlateral insertion of the tilt cord and may be generally similar to thatdescribed in my Patent2,430,579, issuedNovember 11, 1947. This cordguide is mounted directly beneath the tilt cord pulley and serves toretain the tilt cord 8| which is reeved about the pulley 89, in correctoperative relationship to the pulley and to prevent fraying of the tiltcord in its passage through the headbar. This cord guide see Fig. 3) hasopenings 82, 82 on the back side of the cord-engaging portions of theguide for lateral insertion of the cord 8! within the guide, asexplained in detail in said Patent 2,439,579. In the mounted position ofthe tilter 55 in the headbar channel 2!), the lower edge of the cordguide is approximately in the plane of the bottom wall of the channel.

The tiltcord 81 is provided with customary tassels 2 8d and it may alsobe provided with stops B5, 85 when the tilter is of the self-adjustingtyne described in Patent 2,430,774, issued October 3, 1939. The tiltcord 8| depends down-"- Wardly from the pulley 80 through the cord guide19 and through a slot or opening 86 formed in the bottom of the headbarchannel 20. Aparticular advantage in reeving the tilt cord 9! flows fromthe present constructionin that the .slot 89mins not'onlybeneath thecord guide 19,.but

also in front of and beside thecord guideso as g to connect the openings92,782 thereof an'd'form a passage for the lift cordalong the outside ofthe cord-guide. For a cord guide of the form shown having two separaterearwardly-opening parallel portions, the slot 86 may be of therearwardly-opening C-f-orm shown in Fig. 4.

In reeving the tilt cord 8| on the pulley 80 of the tilter, the firststep is to pass the doubled back or looped midportion of the cordupwardly through the slot 86 in the bottom wall of the headbar and infront of the cord guide 79, the loop being inclined forwardly as it ispassed upwardly through the slot. The looped midportion of the tilt cord8| is passed upwardly between the pulley 89 and the front wall of theheadbar until the cord can be engaged over the top of the pulley. Then,the two branches of the cord 8| are individually moved laterally alongthe slot 86 and beside the cord guide 19 until the cord branches reachthe Openings 82, 82 at the rear of the cord guide, the cord beingintroduced within the cord guide laterally from the rear thereof. Thisconstruction permits the tassels 84, 84 and the stops 85, 85 to beplaced on the tilt cord 91 before the tilt cord is reeved on the pulley89, thus simplifying assembly of this portion of the headbarorganization and permitting removal of the tilt cord without priorremoval of any of the tassels or stops.

Two or more tilt rod cradles 46 are mounted within the headbar channel29, one such cradle being provided for each ladder tape 54 of the blind.These cradles are somewhat similar to those disclosed in myabove-mentioned Patent 2,455,135 and provide bearings for the tilt rod50. The cradles, which are described in more detail in my application S.N. 778,002, will not be described in detail herein.

The tilt rod 59 mounts two or more tape rockers 5|, 5| (Fig. 1) one suchtape rocker being provided for each ladder tape 54. The tape rockers 5I, which are formed generally similar to those described in my copendingapplication S. N. 771,981 filed September 3, 1947, which issued asPatent 2,589,846 March 18, 1952, ore of the resilient type so as toresiliently and tightly engage the tilt rod 50 and prevent any lostmotion between the tape rockers and the tilt rod.

The tilter 45 is provided with a worm-driven gear 81 for rotating thetilt rod 50 to effect tilting of the blind slats. The gear 81 has anaxial hole of noncircular cross section extending therethrough forreceiving and driving the tilt rod 50, the cross section of the tilt rodand axial hole in this instance being D-shaped.

The tilt rod 59 is conventionally formed of a cold rolled steel rod andin practice there is some variation or manufacturing tolerance in thecross section of the rod. Accordingly, it is necessary in order tofacilitate assembly of the headbar to form the tilt-rod-receiving holeof the gear 8'! sufiiciently large to receive any tilt rod of the propernominal size. However, this results in,some lost motion between the gear81 and the tilt rod 59. To remove this lost motion, a wedge 89 may beinserted through the hole in the gear 81 and beside the tilt rod 50, asbest shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This wedge lies along the flat side 9| ofthe tilt rod 59 and serves to maintain the tilt rod 59 in tightengagement at G all times within the tiltergear 81, thus effectivelyremoving lost motion therebetween p The wedge 89may conveniently beformed as a sheet metal stamping, as shown in inverted position in. Fig.5. ,It has a flat base 99 of approximately the width"'of"the flat side9| of the tilt rod 50. Inclined flange portions 92, 92 of graduallyincreasing width are formed on each side of the base 90 adjacent to anend thereof, these flange portions'being connected by an end flange 93which merges with side flanges 92, 92.

In applying the wedge 89, it is placed against the flat side 9| of therod 50. The wedge may be so proportioned that the flanges 92, 92 and 93engage the flat side 9| or it may be so proportioned that flanges 92, 92lie outside of the flat side 9 I and nest with the rod. The wedge 89 isslid forwardly and the small end of the wedge passed through the tiltergear 81, the wedge being forced in tightly by hand. The projecting smallend of the wedge may be given an inverted V- form, as shown in Fig. 2,to prevent fortuitous displacement of the wedge. The wedge 89 alsoserves to resist longitudinal movement of the tilt rod 50 relative tothe tilter 45'and the tilt rod cradles 49, 46. However, the wedge neednot be depended upon for this function since longitudinal movement ofthe rod 50 in one direction is prevented by a portion of the cradle 45farthest from the tilter while longitudinal movement of the rod in theother direction is prevented by the end brace 24 adjacent the tilter, asbest shown in Fig. 3.

I claim:

1. In an enclosed headbar assembly for a Venetian blind, a headbar ofrectangular cross section having front and bottom walls and a tiltermounted on the bottom wall of the headbar and provided with a tilterpulley spaced from the front wall of the headbar to permit passage of alift cord therebetween and a cord guide below said pulley, the cordguide having a pair of barrel-like, cord-receiving portions terminatingat their lower ends substantially in the plane of the bottom wall of theheadbar and provided with rearwardly-directed openings for lateralinsertion of the tilt cord, and the bottom wall of the headbar having arearwardly-directed C- shaped slot extending beneath and in front of thecord guide and forming a passage for the cord along the outside of thecord guide and communicating with the cord guide openings, said slotbeing adapted to permit the passing of a looped portion of the tilt cordupwardly through the slot and in front of the cord guide and tilterpulley and the insertion of the tilt cord laterally into the cord guide.

2. In an enclosed headbar assembly for a Venetian blind, a headbar ofrectangular cross section having front and bottom walls and a tiltermounted on the bottom wall of the headbar and provided with a tilterpulley spaced from the front wall of the headbar to permit passage 'of alift cord therebetween and a cord guide below said pulley, the cordguide having a pair of barrel-like, cord-receiving portions providedwith rearwardly-directed openings for lateral insertion of the tiltcord, and the bottom wall of the headbar having a rearwardly-directed C-shaped slot extending beneath and in front of the cord guide and forminga passage for the cord along the outside of the cord guide andcommunicating with the cord guide openings, said slot being adapted topermit the passing of a looped portion of the tilt cord upwardly throughthe slot and in front of the cord guide and tilter pulley and theinsertion of the tilt cord laterally into the cord guide.

HARRY NELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT$ Numbe 1' Name Date Snyder Sept. 12, 1899 KnowltonOct. 10, 1933 Mintz Oct. 11, 1938 Burns .1 Nov. 8, 1938 Lorentzen Oct.13, 1942 Jablin Dec. 17, 1946

